Criminal gangs are making more money from intellectual property crimes than drug trafficking, a Dubai conference was told on Tuesday.
While buying a counterfeit handbag or watching sporting events on non-official streams might initially seem harmless, with the only losers being companies already so rich they would never notice, the reality is very different, Dubai Police said.
They warned that money raised through the sale of fake items is often used to fund other nefarious activities, not least drug trafficking.
Intellectual property (IP) crimes have created a revenue in recent years of $43 billion in the EU alone, said a senior police official.
This far exceeds the $28 billion from drug-related activities.
“Crimes related to intellectual property are becoming more dangerous than drug-related crimes. There needs to be global legislation and amendments on laws to face IP crimes, now we are in the metaverse and AI era,” said Maj Gen Dr Abdul Quddus Al Obaidly, assistant commander-in-chief for quality and excellence and head of the Emirates Intellectual Property Association (EIPA) at Dubai Police.
“The digital revolution presents new challenges in the IP crimes such as the ownership of patent rights created by AI or trademarks in the new virtual world.
“Organised crime [gangs] use social media to promote their fake goods.”
He made his comments during an address at the Middle East North Africa IP Crime Conference in Dubai on Tuesday.
Funding other crimes
A major issue with IP crimes is that the revenue is often used to fund other criminal activities, said Dr Jorge Garate, from the excellence and pioneer department at Dubai Police and a member of the EIPA.
An IP crime is one in which somebody manufactures, sells or distributes counterfeit or pirated goods for commercial gain.
This includes patents, trademarks, industrial designs or literary and artistic works.
“IP crimes include electronics, luxury products, accessories, pharmaceuticals, vehicle parts, recorded music, movies and more,” Dr Garate said.
Dubai Police have received almost 1,300 reports about IP crimes since 2019, with officers arresting almost 1,340 suspects. The estimated street value of the fake products was Dh8.7 billion.
Protecting intellectual property rights is gaining greater importance amid global economic changes related to digital rights, said Ahmed Musabih, director general of Dubai Customs.
“Dubai Customs dealt with around 333 intellectual property disputes that involved 15 million counterfeit items, with a value of Dh73.4 million last year,” said Mr Musabih.
Major sports event are another target of criminal gangs who often broadcast illegal coverage of football and boxing matches, said Malek Hannouf, chairman of the Gulf Brand Owners group.
The UAE updated its legislation and increased the punishments in 2021 to crack down on the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit items.
Caught in the act
A case study of how police caught a woman selling fake designer handbags was presented at the conference.
The police operation started with 10 counterfeit handbags sent from the UAE that were seized upon arrival in Canada in 2022.
“We managed to get the name of the sender and tracked the social media platforms used to sell the products. A woman was doing live broadcasts on Facebook, promoting the products,” said Mr Hannouf.
He said police traced her from her social media and arrested her in her Sharjah apartment, where she was storing thousands of fake designer bags.
“Police seized thousands of fake bags from different brands in her apartment. The street value of the bags was estimated to be Dh20 million,” he said.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
New schools in Dubai
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
Company%20profile
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
West Indies v England ODI series:
West Indies squad: Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas.
Fixtures:
1st ODI - February 20, Bridgetown
2nd ODI - February 22, Bridgetown
3rd ODI - February 25, St George's
4th ODI - February 27, St George's
5th ODI - March 2, Gros Islet
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
